Long gone are the days when snack bars provided solely sweet satisfaction. There’s still a time and place for dried fruits and cinnamon spice, but now there’s also a healthy option when you crave a savory snack with bolder flavors. That option is KIND’s Strong & Kind Bars. Lining shelves in five varieties—Hickory Smoked, Honey Smoked BBQ, Roasted Jalapeño, Thai Sweet Chili and Honey Mustard—the Strong & Kind bars are rugged yet nutritious, a perfect substitute for salty chips and really fun for pairing. Here are a few combinations dreamed up by PA Eats staff that may kickstart your creative juices for your own pairings or, at the very least, inspire a seriously savory snack session.
Mary Bigham
Tested: Honey Mustard
She Says: This guilt-free snack packs the punch, sweetness and spice of honey mustard pretzels into a cluster of protein-packed nuts and seeds. Laced with hints of onion powder and savory notes, the flavors in this bar leave me craving a locally crafted hard cider … an off-dry hard cider like Wyndridge crafty Jonagold Cider is perfect. With 8.1% alcohol, this boozy cider has a fragrant apple aroma and taste with a crisp and refreshing finish.
Jason Tremblay
Tested: Roasted Jalapeño
He Says: The Strong KIND Roasted Jalapeño bar has a pleasantly deceptive sweetness that hides its spicy kick. The peppery finish got me thinking of Mexican flavors, so I paired the bar with an easy, palate-cooling Mexican lager—Sol Cerveza Importada.
Shannon Smith
Tested: Honey Smoked BBQ
She Says: The thought of a savory granola-esque bar definitely threw me for a loop, but my dad’s mantra still stands: “You gotta try everything once before you can say you like or dislike it.” I opted for the Honey Smoked BBQ bar for a few reasons. For one, I’m a big BBQ fan. Chips, ribs, pork … I like it all. The bar also hinted at a bit of sweetness with the added honey element, which also piqued my interest.
In an effort to bring summer to life in early winter, I decided to pair my bar with a glass of Blackstone’s Cabernet Sauvignon. I love a good glass of red when I’m chowing down on a burger hot off the grill or when I’m getting messy with some BBQ ribs. And those flavors were definitely present while I was nibbling on my KIND bar. A very smokey forward, hints of spice throughout and subtle undertones of sweet honey helped to round out this delicious snack bar.
If I were to pair the Hickory Smoked BBQ bar with another food, I might choose something from the melon family—something sweet and cool to help offset the tangy, smoky flavor from the bar. Overall, the bar was better than I anticipated. As a person who tends toward sweets, I found it chock-full of flavor and filling enough for a mid-afternoon pick-me-up, and it left me curious about the other savory flavors KIND is introducing.
Kristen Kwiatkowski
Tested: Hickory Smoked
She Says: I whipped up an at-home snack when throwing this bar to the test, popping open a bottle of Sierra Nevada Golden IPA and munching with some slices of charcuterie and mozzarella. Opting to pair the bold bar with an equally as profound beer—a hoppy IPA—was a wise move. Both were able to stand tall while paired without either of the flavors becoming muted. I’m absolutely going to stock these bars around the house as my go-to snack.
Angela Corrado
Also Tested: Hickory Smoked
She says: There was, admittedly, a part of me that was unsure how a snack bar could pack a savory punch (and a hickory smoked one at that). However, that initial feeling faded once I caught sight of the chunky ingredients, like almonds, pumpkin seeds, pea crisps and hemp seeds. The disbelief faded even more when my nose was greeted with a lovely aroma of garlic and onion. Then, when the hickory smoked snack finally met my taste buds, it was clear that I needed no more persuasion. The smokey flavor jumped from salty to savory and occasionally had a sweet side too, from hints of honey. With such a unique profile, the taste was all-around bold but never too powerful in a particular area. Still, with so much tasteful complexity, I felt a harmonic, crisp beer like Victory Helles Lager would be a perfect pair, and it was! Both the local sip and the warming sun rays worked so well with the Strong & Kind bar, I naturally began dreaming up future pairings (think cold-pressed juice cocktails) and planning out solo snack sessions, too.
Michele Kornegay
Tested: Thai Sweet Chili
She Says: After a late morning, post-yoga session, I ripped open my Thai-inspired bar for an official taste-test. First, I must admit, it is the perfect recharge after a vigorous gym visit. I definitely have to keep my car stocked with these delights, which are loaded with almonds, pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds, plus other health-conscious additives. On another occasion, I decided to pair the this sweet-meets-spice bar with my breakfast of fruit-loaded yogurt and orange juice. Being that sweet characteristics were the overwhelming route of my selections, the pairing kept the bar’s spiciness on the subtle side and, moreover, enhanced its candied notes.
Amy Strauss
Also Tested: Thai Sweet Chili
She Says: The beauty of this Thai-inspired bar is that its intensity progressively builds as you bite. Tapping into KIND Bar’s creative juices (because, come on—they have to be clever geniuses to bust out these flavor profiles), consider the tasting adventure of this bar like this: the base of the bar is laced with sweetness (think: Batman, the underlying hero of this bar that’s never forgotten). Then, there’s the jalapeño spice (think: Robin, he’s there to pitch in, but not the main star). The sweetness (read: Batman) sneaks up even when you think your tastebuds are all spice (read: pushes aside Robin to help; Robin always needed help) and mellows out the experience. The sweet and the spice work wonders together and collectively make up a dream team.
What made this bar’s experience better? Beer, of course! Considering the spice, my go-to pairing suggestion was absolutely an IPA. For the official taste-test, I snapped open a pounder of Manayunk’s Wet Dreamin’, which worked wonders in mellowing the spice and sweetness where needed (you know, when Batman and Robin needed to be put their places).
Hungry? Thirsty? Put any of our pairings to the test and let us know what you think in the comments. Learn more about KIND bar’s healthy—and tasty!—treats and other varieties like Fruit & Nut, Healthy Grains and Plus. There’s more to KIND than just bars; the founder & CEO of KIND even has a New York Times best seller, Do the KIND Thing. Catch you soon—KIND bar in hand!
- Photos: contributing taste-testers
- Lead, featured photo: Angela Corrado
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